Song of the Sirens
by bloomingauthor7
Summary: The encounter with the Sirens, but from Annabeth's point of view.


Song of the Sirens

By BloomingAuthor7

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic. Ever. So go easy on me, ok? Basically, it's the ordeal with the Sirens, but from Annabeth's point of view. (And forgive me if I'm a bit of a Percy/Annabeth shipper) Please REVIEW! 

Disclaimer: These characters are SO not mine. I could never have come up with anything this brilliant. All the creativity credit goes to the amazing author, Rick Riordan. (But you knew that already)

Once I finished explaining my plan for listening to the song of the Sirens to Percy, he helped me to prepare, which I suspected was because, though he thought my plan crazy, he felt like he owed me after the whole Circe episode,  
(which he totally did, by the way) Without saying anything, he commanded one of the ropes on the ship to tie me to a big post in the front of the vessel.

I made Percy promise not to untie me- I knew what would happen if he did. I told him so, and he tried to make a joke. Classic, and _so_ not necessary.

"Seaweed brain," I muttered under my breath.

Afterwards, he went and stuck a bunch of wax in his ears. It looked ridiculous, and I couldn't help nodding at him as I suppressed a laugh. He stuck his tongue out at me and turned around towards the big wagon wheel thing he used to steer the ship. I thought it was pretty amazing he was so good at it, having never even seen a ship like this before. But there was no way I was telling _him_ that. His head was big enough already.

The lulling quiet of the ship was foreboding, reminding me of how insane I was to even attempt this. But this was probably my only chance to hear the Sirens, and I knew better than to pass up a chance at becoming wiser just because I was scared. The waves lapped against the side of the wooden hull. Huge rocks loomed in the hazy distance, and quickly it stopped being the distance. I was reminded of the way I'd imagined the Clashing Rocks Jason and the Argonauts had sailed through. I thought about how similar our journey had been to theirs. The suddenly, I stopped thinking at all. A strange force was pushing into my mind. I tried to resist it, but soon it was inside my head, dominating my thoughts. My only consideration was the fact that I had to get out- _NOW!_ - and get to the source of the hypnotically beautiful song that poured into my ears while swirling around me in a strangely beautiful vortex. I was falling in, spinning, as if I were being sunk into a smaller and more beautiful version of Charybdis. I had never felt such a longing, a need, in my life. I pushed against the ropes, straining as hard as I could, but to no avail. I was sure I was going to die if I didn't manage to escape the rope _right now. _I begged Percy, calling his name, even as I knew he couldn't hear me. I had to get out. I was pleading like I had never done before. I was miserable, in agony. The pain of the music was tugging at me, as if sucking away my essence, drop by drop, _and I had to get out_! But he wasn't listening- in fact, he was speeding up the ship, taking me away from the place I needed so desperately to be.

I screamed at him with everything I had left.

"**_Let me out! Please! I'm dying! Just untie the rope! Why are you taking me away? How can you be so evil? I thought we were fighting side by side-I thought we were friends! Please, Percy! Please! I can't take the pain any longer! Just free me from these ropes, I'm begging you!"_**

And all the time, the intoxicating melody swirled around me, sucking my life away.

Percy turned his back. I couldn't believe it. What kind of friend was he, to let me die! Well, if he wasn't going to help me, I would have to do it myself. I tried to concentrate. _Gods, Annabeth, you need a plan. You're a daughter of Athena- think of something._

_My knife! I had my knife._

I struggled with my arm, knowing that every second took me farther from the end of my pain. One arm free, I reached for my pocket and wriggled out the blade of celestial bronze. At that moment, I knew I had never seen a more beautiful object. I wasted no time in sawing the ropes, praying to every god I knew that Percy wouldn't turn around, all to the tune of the melody whose strength didn't decrease with distance. Finally, I breathed a thank you to the gods as the ropes fell to the ground along with my knife, and I plunged into the murky water.

As soon as I hit the water, everything changed. I was running along the ground in a place I knew was Central Park. But the Manhattan around me was not the one I knew, the one I had seen when I met up with Percy at his school. This city was tall, and brand new, gleaming with white marble and gold. I swelled with pride for I knew that it was all mine-I had built it all. And best of all was where I was running. For before me, seated on a picnic blanket, were all the people I wanted to see most. My parents sat hand in hand. My mother, Athena, not the mortal witch who was my stepmother, was laughing at some joke Dad had made. And there was Luke, smiling up at me, as I reached the blanket, patting the space next to him, and I knew, just from looking into his gorgeous eyes, that he would never betray me and that, in fact, he really, really wanted to kiss me. I stopped and stooped down, about to take the place beside him—

Suddenly, there was someone behind me, pulling me back, trying to take me away from this beautiful world where I was the architect for everything, my parents were together and in love, and Luke was mine. I had to get back to it. I fought in every way I knew how, biting and kicking. I turned and saw that my opponent was Percy, that traitorous jerk. I wanted to kill him. It would serve him right. First willing to let me die, and now trying to keep me from all that I had ever wanted. I screamed my fury and hatred at him, kicking his face and thrashing. Something was pulling me backward. I screamed toward my parents and my Luke for help, but they didn't seem to see me being pulled away. I felt the now familiar sucking power of the ever playing song in my head and in my soul.

Then suddenly, everything went black. I was numb. The feeling lasted for a moment before I could see the beautiful scene again. I fought to reach them, but I was sucked into the blackness again. Then, my trance was broken. I could see I was underneath the water, and suddenly, I had a new obsession. I needed oxygen, and quickly. I struggled towards the surface. The weight of the water pounded in my brain. I was going to die. After all of this ordeal, I was going to drown. I felt myself losing consciousness, when suddenly, I was surrounded by air. I breathed, gasping and coughing, until my breaths were no longer irregular. A chill ran through my body. I turned and looked at Percy, and suddenly I lost it. I had been so close to having all of my wishes fulfilled, to reuniting my parents, to having Luke close by and good again, instead of the treacherous villain he had become. I couldn't stop the tears running down my already wet face, or the sobs that wracked my body. It was all over. I wanted to die. I felt like everyone I had ever cared about, from Chiron down to the pet fish I'd had as a child, had died at the same moment, and I was all alone. I wanted and needed to be held, to feel that I wasn't the only one out there. I felt my forehead resting on Percy's oddly dry shoulder. He put his arms around me. My sobs were exhausting, but I couldn't stop. I felt like collapsing and never getting up. Percy was saying something. I tried to focus on the sound of his voice, which was easier now that that awful, spellbinding melody was gone.

"I'll get us back to the ship," he said. His tone was soft, but strangely soothing. "It's okay. Just hang on."

I nodded, because I really wasn't capable of conversation at the moment and tried to stifle my despondence for Percy's sake.

"Thank you so much- for saving me, y'know-" I whisper in his ear. I know he can't hear me, but I still feel weird saying this to him.

"I- well-,"

I couldn't face him, so I turned toward the rapidly retreating ocean floor and said, barely audibly.

"I love you."

So, what'd you think? Love it, hate it? Leave me a review. I know it's nowhere near as good as the book. Does anyone else agree with me that there's chemistry between the two? I always wondered how Annabeth saw the story, so I decided to take a stab at it. Here it is.


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